For the first time since 2006, the NBA Finals will guarantee a first-time champion. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers — two small-market franchises built around youth, speed and smart team play — will square off for the Larry O’Brien Trophy beginning June 5.
Oklahoma City, the Western Conference’s top seed, rolled through the playoffs with MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the charge. The 26-year-old shooting guard dominated the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Conference Finals, scoring with surgical precision and guiding the Thunder to a 4-1 series win. Oklahoma City posted an NBA-best 68-14 record during the regular season, thanks to its dynamic trio of Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and rookie Chet Holmgren.
The Pacers, meanwhile, stunned the East as a No. 4 seed. Their up-tempo offense overwhelmed the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. Indiana clinched the series in six games with a 125-108 victory, featuring seven players in double figures and 30 assists — 13 of them from star guard Tyrese Haliburton.
Haliburton, long questioned for his playoff viability, silenced critics by playing the best basketball of his career this postseason. His combination of court vision, floaters in traffic and relentless tempo has powered Indiana to its first finals since 2000. Alongside Pascal Siakam, who earned ECF MVP honors, Haliburton and Siakam have made Indiana a legitimate threat.
This postseason has been dominated by elite shooting guard play. Gilgeous-Alexander and Haliburton — two of the game’s premier combo guards — have taken center stage with their scoring, playmaking and leadership this postseason. While other positions have seen shifting roles in today’s NBA, the shooting guard has reemerged as the engine of title contending NBA teams.
The finals will also mark a rare moment in modern NBA history: neither team is paying the luxury tax. Built on draft picks and development, both franchises have defied the league’s star-chasing trend and proved you don’t need to spend big to win big in today’s NBA.
Though separated by 688 miles, OKC and Indiana feel worlds apart from the typical NBA Finals spotlight. Neither played on Christmas Day, neither was favored in October, yet both now stand on the edge of history.
Whether it’s Oklahoma ending a 16-year wait or Indiana finally capturing glory after nearly a 50 hiatus, This year’s finals promises to be a fresh chapter in NBA lore, one written by the swift hands of Gilgeous-Alexander and Haliburton.
